Queens Gazette

It’s Up To Every Individual To Unite The Country


As we write this editorial, it is as yet not known for sure who will officially be president for the next four years. But we do know one thing: whoever it is must unite the country. We need much mending after this past year, and no one seriously can argue for any benefits to division at the top. So we want to discuss the responsibility of every American to work together to accomplish the very important work of rebuilding our country post-2020. We will never agree to anything one hundred percent. Even within the “left” or “right,” philosophies are best described as existing somewhere along a spectrum, with some toward the center and others approaching polar extremes. Without agreement, there is no going forward. We feel the only way to make any progress is that each of us should try to soften our positions, seek to understand others’ viewpoints, respect their rights, and ignore whatever vitriol we encounter. Fighting fire with fire in that situation only leaves us devastated in a smoking pile of rubble, instead of where once stood the world’s greatest civilization. But working together we are stronger. We must realize our differences are indeed our strengths. Every individual, every group has vulnerabilities that others can shore up. Not acknowledging that one fact will cause us to implode. It is dangerous hubris not to.

When people speak of “coalition building” it is not simply hot air. We can either “learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said. And more specifically, King advised, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” And by communicate, he does not mean name-calling and insulting with escalating hate online, behind anonymous identities.

We witnessed an exchange recently that clearly demonstrated the consequences of not working together. What started as a more or less civilized discussion regarding the popular vote, with facts about the Electoral College, and how it is structured, and how well it does or does not represent the people, devolved into a declaration of war. Without getting into the pros and cons of the particular topic, we encapsulate briefly: an opponent of the National Popular Vote Interstate

Compact said the essentially “ignored” rural states would just withhold food from the big-city bullies and instead sell it to China. The proponent then said good luck getting the food past the dense coastal cities on its way to China. The opponent then said some things about well-armed militias and civil war. We have seen similar progressions many times: disagreement, some facts supporting each side, hardening of positions, threats, and finally war.

No one emerges from war a winner. Losses on both sides are always too much to bear, and can lead to the destruction of both. The lesson then, is some people will never understand politeness, and it’s best not to engage with them. But the others should be heard out and genuine efforts should be made to empathize with them and try to find fair compromises.

We should always keep in mind that our children are watching us, and model lessons of humility that best demonstrate to them how to maintain or create a civilized, peaceful and productive society. There are opportunities to practice that all day every day.

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